Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / Positive organisational practices are actions performed by employees within the workplace that enhance worker and organisational wellness. In identifying positively deviant organisations, specific positive practices within the organisation were studied as an online desk research. This study is based on a backdrop of a study by Cameron et al. (2011) where the authors theorise about certain positive practices, but do not stipulate actual practices. In understanding what these positive practices look like, the study used the interpretive paradigm. Through qualitative inquiry, thematic analysis was used to expand the understanding of manifest positive practices in organisations. The researcher used two significant ways of gathering the data, both through the internet; looking up "top" and "happiest" companies to work for as well as looking at the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) Network online resources and Michigan Ross School of Business online page. All of the data gathered (150 pieces) was from secondary internet / online sources. The results generated 13 themes, of which five stood out as most salient: social interactions at work, inclusivity of all differences, mindfulness, transparent/open communication and creativity/innovation. The study concludes by identifying similarities between Cameron et al. (2011) and the study results, and proposes a link between 11 of the themes. Furthermore, the results suggest that seven of the study’s practices coincide with one particular practice from Cameron et al. (2011): ‘inspiring’ others in the workplace. The significance of the study includes the expanded understanding of positive organisational (manifest) practices that take place in positively deviant organisations. By comparing and contrasting these practices with the Cameron et al. (2011) positive practices, similarities were found. Recommendations for future research are offered. / 2020-08-31

La actual crisis económica ha reabierto el debate sobre la importancia de la productividad empresarial en el crecimiento económico de una región. Es en este contexto que el análisis de los factores que contribuyen en la mejora de la productividad empresarial se ha convertido en un elemento esencial, especialmente en las regiones con bajos niveles de productividad, como por ejemple Cataluña. El objetivo de esta tesis es analizar los efectos del capital humano en la productividad empresarial en el contexto de las pequeñas y medianas empresas Catalanas, considerando la posible existencia de sinergias entre el capital humano y otros factores productivos como pueden ser el capital tecnológico o las nuevas prácticas organizativas del trabajo. Adicionalmente, esta tesis también incluye un análisis sobre como las pequeñas y medianas empresas ajustan sus niveles de capital human con la finalidad de dar una mejor respuesta al nuevo contexto competitivo con el que se enfrentan. / The debate over the relevance of firm productivity to economic growth has been reviewed as a consequence of the current economic crisis. In this context, the analysis of elements that contribute to improve firm productivity becomes more important, especially in regions with low productivity levels, such as Catalonia. The purpose of this thesis is to analyse the effects of human capital on firm productivity in the context of Catalan SMEs, taking into account the existent synergies between human capital and other production factors such as, technological capital or the new work organisational practices. Additionally, this thesis also includes an analysis of how SMEs adjust their human capital levels in order to give a better answer to the new competitive context.

With increasing foreign revenues, multinational corporations’ need for expatriate assignments shows little sign of slowing down. Maintaining an expatriate is a costly and complicated process, and if the expatriate fails in his/her assignment, the expatriate exercise becomes even more costly for all involved. A prominent issue in international staffing literature is the premature return of an expatriate to his/her home country or resignation during or shortly after the foreign assignment. An expatriate may be defined as an employee who works for a firm but is not a citizen of the country in which the firm is located (host-country). However, he is a citizen of the country in which the organisation is headquartered (parent country). Losses and damages resulting from expatriates returning prematurely or resigning during or shortly after a foreign assignment add up to considerable costs. Considering these costs, it is imperative that expatriate assignments are managed effectively. The above raises the following research questions: <ul> <li>What is the relationship between job attitudes and expatriate managers’ intention to return prematurely from foreign assignments or to resign during or shortly after foreign assignments?</li> <li>What specific aspects of job attitudes are perceived by expatriate managers’ as critical to their adjustment while on a foreign assignment?</li></ul> The main aim of this research is an empirical investigation into the variables influencing expatriates’ job attitudes and a statistical examination of the relationship between job attitudes and expatriates’ intention to quit or return prematurely. The envisioned result is to identify organisational practices that will facilitate expatriate adjustment during a foreign assignment. Successful adjustment will ultimately reduce the number of expatriates returning prematurely and resigning from a foreign assignment, thereby saving multinational corporations considerable expenses. The research was conducted through self-administered questionnaires. A convenience sample with purposive characteristics, comprising of South African managers on foreign assignments, was used. Response was received from 71 managers. The study relied on descriptive and inferential statistical procedures to analyse the quantitative data and analytical induction to analyse the qualitative data. The results of the study showed a negative relationship between certain favourable job attitudes and intention to quit a foreign assignment. Using the Spearman’s rho test the following correlations proved to be significant: role conflict (-.369), job characteristics (-.391) and co-workers (-.349). Job characteristics (-.107), promotional opportunities (.282) and roleconflict (-.312) were identified, usinglogistic regression, as the variables playing a critical role in the expatriates’ decision to quit. The qualitative data analysis added the following critical adjustment aspects: commitment to the vision of the organisation, supportive supervision, organisational support practices, reasonable compensation packages, and realistic expectations. Based on the variables identified as critical, an organisational best practice framework is proposed. This framework can serve as a managerial guideline for South African multinational corporations to facilitate expatriate adjustment. / Thesis (PhD (Organizational Behavior))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

Managing organisational knowledge is crucial to increase business performance and competitiveness. However, given the complexity and dynamic nature of knowledge management practices, multinational organisations experience difficulties in identifying business opportunities and often fail to make necessary investments. This thesis develops an alternative perspective on knowledge management through the creation of a model based on socio-technical characteristics and organisational ignorance, and argues that managing nescience, i.e. knowing what needs to be known and also acknowledging the power of understanding the unknown, could facilitate employees' knowledge sharing behaviour and could improve both short-term opportunistic value capture and longer term business sustainability. It also creates a novel technique for managing dysfunctional knowledge management scenarios and improving knowledge management practices in the workplace by definition of the concept of KM anti-patterns, while discussing practices that reduce the risk of making the wrong decision when using uncertain information. The philosophy of this study is based on an interpretative approach with inductive reasoning. Both qualitative and quantitative methods, based mainly on workshop style discussions, questionnaires and semi-structured interview data, were implemented using various departments of one multinational organisation within the Aerospace and Defence industry as units of the analysis. Managing organisational ignorance is seldom and insufficiently discussed by the current KM literature and no previous attempt has been made to detect, analyse and categorise KM dysfunctional situations using a systematic KM anti-pattern template. It is argued that the issues addressed in this study could lead to inefficient or otherwise inappropriate KM practices; therefore it is important, particularly for managers and senior executives, to acknowledge, verify and act upon such matters in order to increase performance within their business, and optimise the level of knowledge for an individual employee or group in knowledge intensive settings.

The Australian aquatic theme park segment is a vibrant and significant part of the Australian tourism industry because as a tourism generator it is a direct contributor to the economy and to employment growth. Research in this area can provide a deeper understanding of the complexities of the industry and its future effectiveness. Tourism organisations, such as aquatic theme parks, need to rely on the commitment and performance of a well-trained, multi-skilled workforce in order to achieve a competitive position, especially in terms of providing high quality customer service. This suggests that tourism organisations need to adopt effective organisational practices that enhance the motivation of employees and improve organisational effectiveness by providing the level of quality customer service required to become and remains competitive. Although the tourism industry in general and the theme park segment in particular make an important contribution to the Australia economy, minimal research has been undertaken to determine the factors that contribute to the effectiveness of organisational practices that influence work-related outcomes (commitment, job satisfaction and employee performance). As a related issue, no research has been undertaken to examine the perception of professionalism of employees undertaking marine science activities within Australian aquatic theme parks. Accordingly, one of the objectives of the present research was to examine the impact of organisational practices (training and communication) on affective commitment, job satisfaction and employee performance within the Australian aquatic theme park segment. The second objective was to examine whether the impact of such organisational practices on these work-related outcomes varies between employees designated to undertake marine science related activities and other theme park employees (salespersons, food and beverage and administrative). The final objective of this research was to examine whether employees designated to undertake marine science related activities perceive themselves as professionals. The Meaning of Working Theoretical Framework (based on the Meaning of Working (MOW) model developed by Westwood and Lok, 2003) is used in this research as a conceptual framework to enable a better understanding of the meanings and significance that aquatic theme park employees attach to their work roles. Understanding the basic meanings that individuals attach to their work roles provides relevant insights into the nature of employee commitment, job satisfaction and employee performance, given the apparent impact of perceived work significance on employee attitudes and behaviours. Application of the Meaning of Working Theoretical Framework therefore broadened the conceptual framework of the present research to include and clarify the central constructs of commitment, job satisfaction and employee performance in Australian aquatic theme park workplaces. The present study was undertaken with employees from three Australian aquatic theme park companies, including 'marine science employees' and 'other theme park employees', with a particular emphasis on the former group of employees. The nature of the current study suggested the value of using both quantitative and qualitative methods (mixed methods methodology) and so, the adoption of the pragmatist paradigm was appropriate in framing and answering the thesis’ research questions. Quantitative and qualitative methods in this study were conceptualized, designed and implemented sequentially. Quantitative methods (e.g. survey) were conducted first in order to develop a level of generalisation that not only added knowledge to the theory but also enabled a prediction in understanding levels of commitment, job satisfaction and employee performance. Qualitative methods (indepth interviews and focus group discussions) then provided in-depth information and insights into the link between organisational practices (e.g. training and communication) and work-related outcomes and perceptions of professionalism for marine science employees. The findings of this study have broadened the scope of the MOW model developed by Westwood and Lok (2003) in a number of significant and original ways. In particular, consideration of the relationship between employees and customers and analysis of the values maintained by the organisational culture and their influence on the particular subcultures within the organisations studied proved to be essential in understanding the work meanings patterns in this study. The present study further developed the MOW model by clearly demonstrating the critical role played by training and communication in influencing patterns of work meanings. In addition, this study also expanded the Westwood and Lok’s (2003) MOW model by including issues related to professionalism. The findings of the present study highlighted the pivotal role played by a key HRM practice (on-the-job training), which is more relevant in influencing work-related outcomes than the impact of communication processes, as demonstrated in the study data and analysis. Contrary to expectations, the findings suggested that communication processes play an indirect role in influencing organisational effectiveness, in terms of providing high quality service because of an identified ‘gap’ in beliefs and behaviours regarding customer service. Both training and communication processes appeared to be relatively ineffective in reducing this ambiguity regarding customer service for both group of employees within the aquatic theme parks studied. This should lead to a re-thinking of both training and communication practices to enhance the focus on, and delivery of quality customer service. A number of suggestions are canvassed. Another major finding of this thesis indicates that marine science employees not only perceive themselves as professionals but their status (job/occupation) within the tourism community supports a perception of emerging professionalism. The results revealed in the present study have the potential to impact positively on the tourism industry in general and on the aquatic theme park segment in particular. However, it is clear from the present research that the vibrancy of the tourism industry and the aquatic theme park segment can only be enhanced with more attention to communication and training, with an emphasis on improving employee self-efficacy, especially in the area of customer service.

The purpose of this research is to provide a better understanding of the relationship between human resource management (HRM) practices and innovation. This research responds to calls in the literature on HRM and innovation to consider a wider number of HRM practices that have previously been neglected and are likely to produce a positive impact on innovation awareness and commitment (Shipton et al., 2006; Zhao et al., 2012). Therefore, the research is concerned with a wide number of HRM practices and their impact on innovation awareness and commitment. The underpinning rationale is that while previous studies have revealed that HRM practices can be significant for innovation, these studies are not inclusive, and the research is still scant and in its early stages as there has been a lack of consideration of a comprehensive range of HRM practices (Shipton et al., 2006). In simple terms, previous studies have looked at the relationship between HRM practices and innovation based on a limited number of practices and at the macro or inter-organisational level. Therefore, the fundamental contribution of this thesis is the shift in perspective. While previous research has looked at a limited number of HRM practices that largely appear to be borrowed from high-performance work systems (HPWs), this thesis considers a wider range of practices that can impact on innovation at the intra-organisational level – more specifically, to study employees’ perceptions of HRM practices that may promote innovation awareness and commitment. Innovation awareness and commitment refers to the extent to which the organisation is engaged in innovation. Degree of innovativeness and the open innovation approach are studied in this research, to determine whether HRM practices can impact on radical or incremental open innovation. Additionally, departmental differences are considered in this thesis: that is whether employees in different departments have different perceptions of the extent to which HRM practices promote innovation’. To this end, the data set was obtained from two research phases. A quantitative survey was distributed to 280 employees in a Jordanian telecommunications company. Findings from the first phase of the research indicated a number of new HRM practices that were not recognised by previous studies. This research found a positive impact of HRM practices in promoting innovation, as perceived by employees. HPWs, HRM hygiene factors, motivation and communication were perceived by employees to promote innovation in their organisation. The results show that the relationship between HRM practices and innovation is perceived by employees to promote the origins of innovation, specifically open innovation and radical innovation. No support was found for expectations and sharing information to promote innovation. Phase two of the research consisted of semi-structured interviews conducted with senior managers and employees in the same company that participated in phase one. In phase two of the research, the interviews provided better insights and explanations of the results and findings from the survey questionnaire. The results from phase two confirmed the findings from the statistical analysis, and a distinctive finding was the differences between managers’ and employees’ perceptions of HRM practices. Employees identified or perceived practices that are related to their performance and that enable them to develop their levels of motivation and commitment. Managers identified practices that work in the favour of the organisation, with less focus on employee needs. This was clear when comparing which practices and indications were mentioned by managers and employees. It is worth mentioning here that, given the relatively close conceptualisation in the literature that innovation is a form of organisational performance, this thesis does not intend to rebrand ‘performance’ as ‘innovation’ per se. This is especially in this research as it seeks to understand the relationship between HRM practices and innovation by looking at employees’ perceptions of HRM practices that may promote innovation and cause their company to be perceived as an innovative workplace. This research is probably the first attempt to study the role of a comprehensive list of HRM practices in influencing innovation by considering employees’ perceptions of HRM practices that may promote innovation. Moreover, the intra-organisational level was considered, along with departments, degree of innovativeness (radical-incremental innovation) and types of innovation approach (open vs closed).